The left-hander allowed three hits, two walks and one run in eight innings for his first win since July 9. Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports
TORONTO — David Price struck out 11 in his Blue Jays debut and Josh Donaldson hit a two-run homer as Toronto defeated the Minnesota Twins 5-1 on Monday afternoon.
Price (10-4) was cheered loudly as he warmed up before his first start since he was obtained from the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
The left-hander allowed three hits, two walks and one run in eight innings for his first win since July 9. He had been 0-2 with a no-decision in his final three starts with the Tigers.
When he walked off the mound after the eighth, he received a standing ovation and tipped his cap in return.
The strikeouts were the most in a Blue Jays debut, surpassing the nine by right-hander Roger Clemens in 1997.
Right-hander LaTroy Hawkins pitched the ninth.
Second baseman Ryan Goins also homered for the Blue Jays (55-52) in the opener of a four-game series.
Right fielder Torii Hunter homered for the Twins (54-51).
Twins right-hander Ervin Santana (2-2) allowed six hits, three walks and three runs while striking out two in six innings.
Each team homered in the second. Hunter hit his 17th of the season, and Goins hit his third.
Price worked out of a bases-loaded jam with none out in the fourth after first baseman Trevor Plouffe had doubled and designated hitter Miguel Sano and Hunter had walked. Left fielder Eddie Rosario popped out to shortstop and center fielder Aaron Hicks and catcher Kurt Suzuki struck out.
Blue Jays shortstop Tory Tulowitzki led off the fifth with a single and Donaldson, the third baseman, followed with his 27th homer of the season — a drive to right — as the Blue Jays took a 3-1 lead.
The Blue Jays added two runs in the seventh against right-hander Blaine Boyer, who replaced Santana.
Tulowitzki opened with a walk, took second on Donaldson’s groundout and scored on a single by designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who took second on the throw home. First baseman Justin Smoak followed with an RBI single.
NOTES: Twins manager Paul Molitor played for the last Blue Jays team to reach the postseason, the 1993 World Series winners. Molitor batted .315 with 51 homers and 246 RBIs for the Blue Jays from 1993 to 1995. … The Twins completed a 3-6 homestand before embarking on a seven-game trip that started Monday with the opener of the four-game series in Toronto. … RHP Roberto Osuna, the Blue Jays’ closer, earned his seventh save of the season Sunday by pitching 1 1/3 innings, his fourth save of more than one inning this season. The last Toronto pitcher to have four saves in a season of more than one inning was RHP Casey Janssen in 2007. … Twins RHP Phil Hughes (10-6, 4.11 ERA) will start Tuesday against Blue Jays RHP Marco Estrada (8-6, 3.53).
